Players, Please Board the Train

Chapter 444: Evenly Matched

"Although it's called Random Grab, there are actually clear limitations. It's not just people—objects are also within your grabbing range, which is why you snatched my Porcelain Dolls earlier."

After he said this, Miao Yu and the others hiding in plain sight or in the shadows immediately pulled out some unimportant items to shield themselves. After all, the move "Random Grab" was truly troublesome.

"You're right." Kong Cheng didn't deny it either. He raised his hand, and the broom that was in Xu Huo's hand vanished into thin air, then reappeared in his own grasp.

"This is fucking possible too!" Chu Yuan couldn't help but curse.

The hearts of everyone present skipped a beat. That broom was a very powerful item. Who would have thought that even after being snatched away, it could still be recalled?

Unlike the others, Xu Huo wasn't very surprised that Kong Cheng retrieved the broom. Watching it reappear in the other's hand, he continued, "This item of yours has two sides: one is Sweep Garbage, the other is Crush Garbage. However, these two abilities don't seem fixed. If I'm not mistaken, they are probably used in rotation. After using Sweep Garbage once, the next time is Crush Garbage."

Hearing this, Kong Cheng narrowed his eyes. "That wallet of yours can't be used infinitely either, can it? The sword also has usage conditions. You seem pretty sharp. Why don't you work for me? I'll guarantee you a life of luxury and a place for yourself on the Isar Coast."

Xu Huo smiled. "That's really a shame. I don't have a career plan to be anyone's thug."

As he spoke, he shot Gan Qing a meaningful glance. The latter immediately released a green light to obstruct vision, and the briefly paused battle reignited!

Wu Xiaonan and Miao Yu simultaneously aimed their targets at Kong Hui, who couldn't step out of the Numbered Grids. Gan Qing drew Lou Fu away, while Wan Yunrong and Chu Yuan took advantage of the opposing players being scattered to sneak toward Dr. Deng, who was now protected only by Tong Jian.The swirling green light was dazzling, and at the same time, eerie and bizarre voices echoed in the darkness. Twisted, terrifying figures flickered into existence all around.

"Ghostly Shadows!" Wan Yunrong screamed in fright, reflexively throwing an electric sphere at one, but the Ghostly Shadow instantly vanished from its spot and reappeared elsewhere.

"Ghosts! Ghosts!" Dr. Deng was also terrified. Clutching his music box, he tried to flee in panic. Tong Jian beside him grabbed him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed...!"

Before his words even finished, he himself leaned to the side. A burst of sword energy shot from Xu Huo's direction swept past the two of them, cutting a long, vertical crack in the wall several meters behind them.

But that wasn't the end. After one sword strike missed, the location where Xu Huo and Kong Cheng were fighting rapidly shifted toward the two of them.

Tong Jian pulled Dr. Deng to run further away. Meanwhile, Wan Yunrong and Chu Yuan, having snapped out of the shock of Ghostly Shadows appearing everywhere, gritted their teeth and gave chase.

The current situation was this: Wu Xiaonan and Miao Yu were both capable, but killing Kong Hui, who stood immobile, wasn't that easy either. Xu Huo, who was single-handedly holding off Kong Cheng, was basically in a state of passive defense. Kong Cheng could launch two attacks for every one counterattack Xu Huo managed.

Capturing Dr. Deng was their chance to turn the tables!

Xu Huo wasn't actually struggling as much as he appeared. Although his physical evolution was inferior to Kong Cheng's, his mental abilities had undergone Secondary Evolution. His brain, after Super Evolution, showed significant improvement in predicting and tracking objects. Additionally, the items "Stuttering Malice" and "Seeing is Believing" could compensate somewhat.

His speed wasn't as fast as Kong Cheng's, but Kong Cheng didn't hold an absolute advantage in physical ability either.

The real trouble was the items and characteristics.

Both "Random Grab" and "direct hits" were effective against him. The broom, possessing both abilities, also worked on him. Although the Crimson Sword wasn't likely to break under the broom, Xu Huo intentionally protected the item, not constantly using the sword to block.

However, he noticed that the intervals between Kong Cheng's frequent use of these abilities grew longer over time, and their effects weakened. During the most recent use of "Random Grab," Xu Huo clearly felt a significant drop in its power.

Although Kong Cheng had been using his physical prowess to compensate for this flaw, a careful observer could easily see he was deliberately trying to hide it.

As time passed, Kong Cheng seemed to realize Xu Huo was observing him, even having the spare capacity to test his characteristics and items. His expression finally lost its earlier calmness. He suddenly stopped attacking, thrust both palms forward, and clapped them together in the middle. "Format!"

Before his words faded, the metal plates on the ceiling, floor, and walls of the corridor all bulged and deformed, madly squeezing toward the center and surging rapidly along the corridor like an explosion!

Seeing this, Xu Huo turned and ran, but his speed couldn't match the corridor's deformation. Just as he was about to escape the corridor, he was pinned by the metal plates. If he hadn't prepared some protective gear in advance, his bones would probably be crushed to dust by now!

"Xu Zhi... keep your distance!" Chu Yuan ran back from ahead, slapped a talisman paper onto the twisted metal. The metal that had him trapped tightly automatically shrank back an inch, just giving him enough space to move.

"Why did you come back?" Xu Huo asked while pulling himself free.

"I don't know what happened either. I was chasing them, and then they just vanished." Chu Yuan said, "Had to come back and check. How are you? Where's Kong Cheng?"

"Boom! Boom!" Two thunderous roars sounded from nearby. The interval between the first and second was short, but the distance covered was quite far. Before the two could react, Kong Cheng, clad in a metal outer garment, burst through the wall and threw a punch at the back of Chu Yuan's head!

Xu Huo hurriedly yanked the man aside while simultaneously kicking out!

Protected by his characteristic, his leg wasn't seriously injured. Instead, the exchange ended in a draw with Kong Cheng.

As both retreated, Xu Huo swung his sword. Kong Cheng didn't dodge, instead using "Random Grab."

The distance between them abruptly shortened, and both prepared for close-quarters combat. Unexpectedly, Chu Yuan threw a coffin from behind.

A real coffin, coming at them vertically.

Xu Huo forcefully withdrew his sword and stabbed it into the nearby wall just before touching the coffin, interrupting the grab. He then flipped aside to avoid the coffin.

Kong Cheng ahead didn't evade. He first swung the broom but found he couldn't cut the coffin open, then used "Format." The metal plates gathering back did manage to jam the coffin, but as the coffin lid opened, a powerful suction pulled him inside. The lid snapped shut, followed immediately by frantic pounding and banging sounds from within.

"Case Closed." Chu Yuan smiled at Xu Huo, having survived a close call. "Luckily I made it in time. Let's get out of here quickly. This item's effect only lasts a few minutes."

Xu Huo tried slashing at the coffin with his sword, but couldn't cut through it. He thus abandoned the idea of killing Kong Cheng along with it and turned to find Dr. Deng with Chu Yuan.